Saturday, August 27, 2011

The August marché is only a few days away and LPM is super excited at the offerings on display this month! Come Sunday, LPM will be bringing you a little bit of everything, with the aim of satisfying the appetite we know you’ve built up over the month. With food, drinks, and great music, the GET Arena is your destination for this weekend’s fête. Please see the list of vendors for a preview of what LPM has got lined up for Sunday!

PerfectLash - PerfectLash is bringing professional semi-permanent individual lashes to London & Lagos. We have trained and certified lash technicians who will be using the highest quality fiber lashes with special patented glue to give a more natural eyelash extension look. The most natural look you can get!

Republic of Foreigner - ROF is a women’s apparel brand established with the aim of bringing out the spirit of freedom in all the ladies out there! Inspired by vintage dresses, fairies & pixies, beat poets, endless summers of love, and film, the creators developed a brand based on fun, love, and freedom! “We’re like hippies just spreading the love!” ROF offers a wide selection of desirables–modern & vintage inspired clothing and accessories derived from the global fashion sphere. All of the brand’s fabrics are carefully handpicked, taking into mind style, wearability, and quality.

Khairmax Beauty - Khairmax is a growing hair company and deals with Brazilian, Peruvian and Malaysian, European and Indian virgin human hair. We also retail other hair products such as hair straighteners, rollers, and hair products such as serum.We pride ourselves with selling only the best hair and hair products and are number one distributors in the UK and venturing to Abuja and now to Lagos. We have a dedicated team and specialist who are there to offer support for clients and ready to give best quality of service.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Our friend Stella runs the beauty blog Stella's Addiction and is a make-up artist/MBA graduate/Paris Big Geh/all rounder. She had us come over to hers yesterday to get Stella's Addiction makeovers. I wanted to have "peacock eyes", lots of blues, greens, purples etc and Bugo opted for something a bit more natural but with colour, warm golds and reds, seriously gorgeous work. I can't post close-ups because Stella hasn't put the pictures up on her own blog yet, but once she does I'll put up a link to it.

After getting our makeovers we hit up a Nigerian restaurant called African Silver,

*sidebar* The food is mental. I rarely seek out Nigerian food outside of Nigeria because more often than not they're usually not that great, plus I can lay it down in the kitchen already so I don't exactly lack for soups and stew and co. However a couple of people had mentioned African Silver and we had a bit of time to kill so we decided to see how far. I was really impressed, the rice was like agoyin (sp?) rice, abi party rice, shey that's what its called. Really delicious.

If you guys come to Paris I highly recommend African Silver, the Metro stop is Temple and the Line that runs through there is #3

After lemming tight we got ready to say our goodbyes to Paris with a bang, Since we enjoyed Cafe Oz so much the last time we went out, we decided to go to a larger Cafe Oz at Denfert Rochereau No Nigerian music again this time but I was not disappointed, an awesome time was had by all.

Met up with our friend Mary there

We all descended into high spirits quite early

Had to document my own descent. I went from innocently clutching my Pineapple Rum

To dancing on a table, which I have to confess is my trademark. Once the music is right and the libations are flowing, my drink addled brain starts to seek for an elevated surface to dance on.

To just complete and total anarchy

All in all, a fun night.

I had a great time this week, Stella took time out of her busy schedule to hang with Bugo and I every single day (QC Girls Rock!) without complaining. She made Paris so much more fun for us.

I just got back from Cafe Oz, its 2.24am, my flight back to the UK is at 4pm today, Nwabugo's is at 9am so we're both awake, packing and dissecting our week.

It. Was. Legendary.

I always have a blast wherever I go so I didn't exactly expect this vacay to dull, but it exceeded my expectations. My normal M.O. is to vacillate between the mall and the clubs, but this time I actually made the effort to see something of the city I was visiting.

J'aime Paris...

WEDNESDAY

Spent the whole day indoors eating crap and watching The Bachelor under duress, Bugo is an addict...me, not so much. I prefer my reality shows of the extreme hoodrat variety, a la Basketball Wives and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The Bachelor is way too civilised for me, no swear words, no weave pulling, no drinks thrown in faces.......what did I do before the advent of reality tv I wonder.

Stella informed us she was whipping up a pot of ofe-akwu so Bugo and I made haste to her flat to break bread.

I didn't put up any pictures of us before we had dinner at Stels, because we looked wild, hair flying, eyes rolling....we could have tackled Tami Roman at that time sef, we were starving.com.

After dinner, you go fear selense, tomato Jos, ndi asa nwa......

ROTFLMAO

I swear I crack myself up

Still expressing my happiness. That was my first time having ofe-akwu and I was in raptures.

Still don't know what this girl was doing here, when you see her, help me ask abeg.

THURSDAY

We went to go have dinner on a riverboat called La Balle Au Bond on the Seine. At least we thought we were having dinner, wait till you see what my poor stomach juices had to attempt to ingest.

Before we got to the boat though, we passed by the Pont des Arts bridge which is one of the "Love Locks" bridges. Love locks are "a custom by which padlocks are affixed to a fence, gate or bridge or similar public fixture by lovers to symbolize their everlasting love". The bridge was covered in padlocks, with the couples' names and dates they attached the padlocks on them. It was sooo romantic.

Wonder who Jeremy and Nicole are and whether they're still together. Can't wait to come back to Paris and attach my own padlock sha.

Got to our boat

Thinking we were in for a treat, y'all know I like my food. After ordering extensively, this snack was what arrived

Daks ordered fried fish, Daks got.....only God knows what. I don't know if they were trying to form gourmet or something but when I'm hungry I can barely think straight, much less fathom why I was being served what looked like miniature fried goldfish with bulging eyes.

After a very unsatisfactory meal, we met up with our friend Chidiogo, who's just international. Baby girl flew into Paris from Madrid and was heading out to Peru the next day. Jetsetter toh quality.

From there we went to an Australian bar called Cafe Oz in Chatelet, it seemed dulling at first but we peeped the Dj was black so we figured the music would step up later. Their drinks were of the lethal variety where it feels like you're drinking nectar and honey meanwhile you're slowly and surely getting a gargantuan buzz. After mingling with the clientele we decided to hit the dance floor, which was when the unbelievable happened.

We heard 'Ashawo' through the speakers, Flavour Na'abania in the hizzouse...

We. Went. Ape-shit.

It wasn't even an urban or even an African club, so we were super shocked to hear Nigerian music and not just any old Nigerian music but our kinsman, Flavour. You go fear gbedu, Bugo was on the floor, Stella was raising one leg, Chidiogo was doing galala, Daks was giving them alanta.....it was messy to the nth degree.

In our excitement at hearing good music I completely forgot to take any pictures, there was no way I could have accurately documented our excitement anyway. That night was ridiculous.

FRIDAY

Bugo and I decided to attend mass at the Basilique du Sacre Couer or Sacred Heart Basilica, while tracing our journey on the Metro we discovered that the Moulin Rouge was on our way so we made a quick pit stop to take pictures and somehow ended up in Pigalle, Paris' red light district. Luckily I managed to get my shot and sharply hightailed it out of that area.

Stopped to get roasted corn first, haven't had corn in almost a year. Was so excited to see the corn cart.

BASILIQUE DU SACRE COUER

Or Sacred Heart Basilica, its dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. Its one of the holiest structures in Europe and Catholics come from all over the world to pray there. Since the church was built in 1885, there has been a Blessed Sacrament on permanent display above the high altar. In regular Catholic churches, this Blessed Sacrament is brought out once a week or so (varies from church to church) for a ceremony called The Adoration of the Holy Eucharist, but Sacre Couer is the only Catholic church in the world where it is permanently displayed. So at every single minute, for 125 years there has been someone praying before the Sacrament.

Awesome stuff.

My favourite thing about Sacre Couer is possibly the fact that cameras are not allowed into the church so you are able to concentrate on Mass, unlike the Notre Dame which completely defeats the purpose of coming to church. Sacre Couer is a tourist site but its still retains the original function which is a place to celebrate Mass. Also because of the Blessed Sacrament you won't be allowed into the church if you're not decently dressed.

There are just some places you go to and instantly feel closer to God, I can't wait to go to the Vatican and celebrate Mass with the Pope. I might just ask Christ to take me then and there because it really can't get any better.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

You guys will remember #1 on my much reviled Birthday Wishlist? Well boo to everybody who sniffed at it because as is evidenced by the above, I went to Disneyland!

Repeat after me; "confession is possession, confession is possession"............

A month and a couple of weeks after #DaksDay, I've got everything on my List except the Chanel bag and the camera, I remain ever hopeful.

Anyhoozle, as an ex-officio member of the National Association of Nigerian Agbaya's (NANA) Eastern Chapter, there was no way I could come to France and not visit our European Zonal Head Office, Disneyland Paris. I'm a die hard theme park veteran, I've done all the good ones, Six Flags, Universal Studios, Thorpe Park, Apapa Amusement Park (of blessed memory) etc, but Disneyland always eluded me. From the time I was old enough to know it existed I lusted after this magical place but due to the fact that as a typical Nigerian, when we came on vacation to the US, we only stayed at the "Nigerian" states, New York, Maryland, California, Texas. We never smelt Florida and my parents were definitely not going to take a road trip to Orlando just so I could see Mickey and Minnie.

I never outgrew the compulsion so the minute I began planning my trip to Paris, I started researching Euro Disney tickets. Luckily Nwabugo is a fellow agbaya so she was totally up for it, Stella however, was practically the only adult in the group, she remained "cool, calm and collected" (this phrase was IT when I was in Jss3) while I and Bugo were literally bouncing off the walls.

Peep the crowd, it was mental. It wasn't just kids accompanied by parents, adults on their own were all over the damn place. Agbaya's are a force to be reckoned with.

I died the little death when I saw the castle. Gave me total Fantasia flashbacks.

If I didn't get the Minnie Mouse ears I'd have thrown the biggest tantrum

Stella

Bugo

There was so much to take pictures of, I didn't even know where to start, it was like all the fairytales had come to life. I was so excited I started to get a little worried, asking myself serious soul-searching questions such as;

"Is this normal"?

"Do other 26 year old lawyers act this way when confronted with childhood memories"?

"Is it entirely possible to regress to an infantile state on the strength of the imagination of a man whose parents had the temerity to name him Walter"?

"How on earth do Mickey and Minnie kpansh"?

"How much serum would Rapunzel need to keep her hair from being brittle"?

You know, earth shaking questions like that.

The cottage of the Seven Dwarves

Jack's house with the beanstalk growing out of it. I confess to being a little foggy at this point, I don't entirely recall Jack & The Beanstalk being remixed in the usual Disney fashion. Enlighten me if you know any different.

Cinderella's carriage after Xzibit and West Coast Customs handled that pumpkin.

Decided to go on one of the rides and my first choice was Space Mountain, it was touted as the ride that would rip the weave from my hair, but it was a bit of a let down. It was fast and all but I expected a bit more. The more dangerous the ride, the likelihood of finding me queuing up for it is very high. I LOVE dangerous theme park rides, upside down turns, sudden drops, twists, rolls, the works.....if it can kill, I'm in. Luckily Stella is as big a thrill seeker as I am and we were to be found wherever the screams were loudest. Bugo.....not so much, we settled her down in a safe play area while we went to get our adrenaline pumping on.

It really wasn't that bad, it was pretty blood curdling, I was just upset that it didn't last longer. It seems the more dangerous the ride, the shorter it is, tres annoying. At least the ride achieved one thing......

It loosened my carefully arranged bun. I went up a perfectly coiffed babe and came down with my hair in disarray, pins falling out, strands flying......I was so pleased.

Agrabah!

We went on a few more rides, and by "we", I mean Stella and I. Bugo wasn't having it. Out of respect for her reputation I won't recount the scene she made at the last ride we went on, which admitted children by the way so you have an idea of how mild it was. Lets just say it was better for all parties involved if she just took a seat and cheered us on from the sidelines.

We were there until they did the Show at the end which was soooo cool. All the Disney princesses were there; Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Snow White, Ariel and the newest princess repping for the chocolate chicks, Tiana from 'The Princess and the Frog', with all their princes.

I swear I got a little misty eyed, it was so toushing

Pictures are not so clear because we couldn't get close enough. Children are vicious I tell you, these miniature human beings were jostling with their elders for space and tings. We barely managed to get a spot to stand in even.

So now I can rest, #22 on my Bucket List has been fulfilled, still some stuff left to be done on there, I'll keep you updated on my progress.